An anonymous trading system is known, for example, in EP-A-0,399,850, EP-A-0,406,026 and EP-A-0,411,748 which disclose an automated matching system for anonymous trading of foreign currencies (or other financial instruments). In this system, a single host computer maintains a central database of all trading instruments available for trade, credit information and bids and offers which have been submitted by terminals connected to the host via a computer network. The host computer uses information in its central database to match bids and offers and buy and sell orders based on matching criteria which include a counter party credit limit.
The counter party credit limits are set at each trading floor, and are stored at the host computer, which then establishes a gross counter party credit limit for each possible pair of counter-parties. The gross counter party credit limit is the minimum amount of the remaining credit from a first party to a second party, and the second party to the first party. The various trader terminals connected to the host computer maintain and display only a restricted subset of the information available at the host computer, such as best bids and offers.
A problem was identified with this system in that the host computer only used the credit information to check that a deal could proceed after a potential match had been identified. A trader thus could not know whether he had credit with a potential counter party prior to attempting to trade. This problem was identified and a solution provided in the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,055.
In the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,055 a credit matrix is derived and stored at a plurality of regional nodes of a distributed network, with each regional node distributing market information to a set of trader terminals to which the regional node is connected via an access node. The regional node is known as a Market Distributor and provides dealable price information to the trader terminals connected via the access node known as a Market Access Node. The actual matching of bids, offers, buy and sell commands is provided by separate nodes known as Arbitrators.
We have appreciated problems with both the first, host system and second, distributed system discussed above. In particular, we have appreciated that a computer trading system should be capable of handling message flow in a global environment in which traders may be on different continents. In the host system, messages between trader terminals must travel unnecessarily large distances to reach the single, host computer. This is particularly the case because deals may often fail because traders attempt to “hit” displayed prices which are derived from quotes submitted by traders with which they have no credit. In the second, distributed system the burden of message traffic is reduced by pre-screening prices for credit compatibility. However, messages must still flow between Arbitrator nodes and Market Distributor nodes so that the trader's view of an available market and the actual market available for matching are synchronised.
In view of the time taken for messages to pass through the system we have appreciated that it is desirable to move towards a more fully distributed system in which matching does not take place at a central location or at one of a small number of central locations. In such a distributed system message flow though the network becomes very important and it is essential to eliminate redundant traffic.
We have particularly appreciated the need for a streamlined message flow in a distributed system.